Conor Coady: Once a reject, now leading a pack

We have multiple cases when teams are wrong about their academy players. For example, Harry Kane by the Arsenal Academy. What a mistake that proved to be? So here we are talking about a player whom Liverpool rejected and now is the captain of a Premier League team. Conor Coday: the leader of the pack of Wolves.

The Liverpool born lad joined the Liverpool academy in 2005. Initially, he was set out to play as a central defensive midfielder. Chances never really came the way Coady would have hoped as he never made the cut at Merseyside. So in order to save his playing career, he left his boyhood club for Huddersfield in 2014.

Coady is a proven leader. He was the captain of Liverpool U18s and U21s. He led the Three Lions to U17 European Championship. So leading is in his gene as he grew up in Liverpool seeing the leadership of the legendary Steven Gerrard.

So as it seems now, it was a wise decision by Coady to move away from Liverpool. After spending a year with  Huddersfield Town, he joined Wolves for a reported fee of £2 million. As a young player, he was trained as a holding midfielder but at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nuno Espirito Santo decided something that changed Coady’s career. He decided to use Coady as a center back. Many managers came and went in Coady’s career, but it was Nuno who impacted his career.

How has it worked for Coady and Wolves?

Conor Coady is an excellent passer of the ball. This is the trait that makes him an excellent addition to a team. He can start and dictate play from the back. The three-man defense is working well for the Wolves as they are racking up some good stats this season. They are tight at the back as they have conceded fewer chances than Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. They have conceded 13 goals this season and they need to improve on it.

Conor Coady is an excellent long passer of the ball and ranks up with the top ball playing defenders. Along with Ruben Neves, he can start attacks right from the back and split defenses with his passing.

So will Liverpool regret letting him go? Depends on how Wolves finish this season. With a great attitude and leadership skills, he is a utility player any manager would like to have. To be honest, he is better of at Wolves than at Anfield.

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